1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to golf equipment and more particularly to an improved golf club head cover having a detachable golf club identification tag.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is a common practice to use head covers on golf clubs, particularly those referred to as "woods" to protect the golf club heads from damage when not in use. Such head covers are usually fabricated of a fabric-like material and are of a generally tubular configuration with one end being open and the other closed.
In that the heads of golf clubs extend angularly from their shafts the bores of the head covers must be sized to receive the heads but also must be of irregular configuration so as to prevent the head covers from unintentionally falling off of the clubs. To accomplish this, head covers are usually formed with some sort of constriction intermediate their opposite ends so that the golf club heads will freely pass through the open end of the head covers, will be relatively loosely contained in the closed ends, but must be forcefully moved through the constricted areas thereof. Some prior art head covers are formed so that their closed ends are disposed at an angle relative to their open ends to provide the desired constriction at the angular junction thereof. Another prior art head cover is formed with a circumscribing elastic band at the desired point of constriction and still another reduces the dimension of the bore by stitching.
For aesthetic reasons, most head covers are formed by stitching the various pieces together in an inside-out position so that the stitched seams will face inwardly when turned rightside-out upon completion of the sewing operation. However, the internally facing stitched seams should be covered with a suitable liner, at least in the constricted area, so as to minimize the force required to pass the golf club head through the constricted area and to prevent scratching of the finish on the golf club head. In addition to covering the stitched seams, head cover liners are employed in many prior art head covers to provide a double layer of material to protect the golf club head from external blows. And, in some instances a third material layer, such as foam rubber, or the like, is interposed between the outer material and the liner to provide additional cushioning.
Therefore, the fabrication of a well made prior art golf club head cover is a time consuming and relatively costly multistep operation with includes cutting of multiple fabric pieces into the various shapes needed to provide the outer material layer, the liner, and in some instances the interposed cushioning layer, and stitching along a multiplicity of seams to attach the pieces together in the desired head cover configuration.
As is well known, all golf clubs are identified by a number, or letter in some cases, and the identifying indicia is marked on the head of the golf club. Gold clubs of the type referred to as "woods" are commonly identified by numbers ranging from one (1) up as high as seven (7) and in some instances higher and these numbers are located on the sole of the woods. Therefore, when head covers are placed on the heads of the woods, the club identifying indicia is hidden. Further, most golfers will carry at least three different types of woods in their golf bags. For these reasons, head covers are provided with means for identifying the particular golf clubs upon which they are placed.
The prior art golf club head covers accomplish club identification in various ways. Some identify the club by embroidering the desired number on the cover at the closed upper end thereof. This is not a widely used technique however due to the time involved in direct embroidery.
Another technique which is not widely used, for the same reasons, in embroidering or otherwise providing the indicia on a patch and sewing the patch on the head cover at the time of fabrication thereof.
The most commonly used technique for providing identifying indicia on a head cover is to provide the indicia on a rigid tag, and hang that tag on the head cover at the closed upper end thereof. The tag is formed with a slot and a fabric strap is passed through the slot and folded back onto itself to provide a loop. The free ends of the looped over strap are captively attached in a seam of the head cover by being sewn therein simultaneously with the stitched closing of that seam.
One problem associated with such methods of providing club identifying indicia on head covers is that the indicia becomes an integral part of the head cover at the time of manufacture and thus, cannot be changed to suit the particular club selection being carried by an individual golfer.
In order for a golfer to select a head cover set for the particular combination of woods he or she desires to use, the manufacturer must make and the supplier must carry a complete selection of head covers. This causes inventory and supply problems in that it is very difficult, if not impossible to predict the particular combinations and number of particular head covers that consumers will want. To illustrate this problem, most golfers will use a driver (no. 1) and at least two other woods which can be selected from different types of woods ranging from a two (2) wood through a seven (7) wood. Many golfers will use a three (3) wood whereas relatively few use a seven (7) wood, and so forth.
Also, if a golfer decides after initially selecting a set of head covers, to change the particular combination of woods that he or she uses, it may be difficult to find a matching head cover or covers for the new combination of woods. Further, with the head covers having the club identifying indicia provided on the above described hanging tags, if the tags become damaged or torn off, they can't be replaced without destroying the head cover.
The manufactures of head covers have long recognized this inventory and supply problem and some attempts have been made to provide detachable, and thus, replaceable indicial means. One particular prior art attempt as solving the indicia problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,295,236. This patent suggests that an indicia bearing disc, such as of plastic, be demountably carried in an annular pocket formed in the cover so as to circumscribe an opening formed in the outer covering material. The circular edge of the disc is carried in the annular pocket and a snap is provided on the cover and the disc to hold it in place. To the best of my knowledge, this particular prior art suggested solution did not achieve commercial acceptance, possibly due to manufacturing complexities. Another solution was suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 3,294,138. This head cover was made with a fabric tab extending from its closed upper end and an eyelet was provided in the tab. A plastic indicia bearing disc having an axially extending boss was attached to the tab by passing its boss through the eyelet. The eyelet and boss were configured to provide an interference fit to demountably interconnect the tab and the disc. Apparently this proposed solution also failed to achieve commercial acceptance possibly due to the necessity of using a relatively small disc with such a mounting technique, and such a small disc lacking the capability of providing highly visible club identifying indicia.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved golf club head cover which overcomes some of the problems and shortcommings of the prior art.